March 20, 2014

Vegemite 101

About a month ago, I noticed that my mega grocery store, Wegman's, was selling Vegemite in their British Food section.

Vegemite is Australian's version of concentrated yeast extract. I don't know what it is about England (and their commonwealth countries) and their love of the yeast extract. But I became a convert six years ago when I won myself a free trip to New Zealand for a few weeks.

It's been exactly six years since I made my long journey to the other side of the world. During my trip, I managed to make only Aussie friends so hence the introduction to Vegemite and not the New Zealand Marmite (which actually is different from England's Marmite).

my first taste of vegemite 6 years ago

To celebrate this six year anniversary (or I guess not so much a celebration but a realization that all this time has passed), I purchased myself a jar of Vegemite.

What is vegemite, you ask?

It's made from leftover brewer's yeast and is a salty spread used mostly on toast. It's basically their equivalent of what peanut butter is to us. A necessity for a quick snack and a pantry staple.

The spread is an acquired taste. After my first bite of Vegemite toast, I wasn't quite sure what to think. It tasted a bit like soy sauce but ferment-y. But then after a few more tastings, I couldn't get enough of Vegemite toast on a delicious baguette with some salty butter.

A key to Vegemite: a little goes a long way. My Aussie friends told me to spread it thin on toast and then told me a tale of the daredevil-type guy who decided to put globs of vegemite on his toast. Well, let's just say he immediately spent some quality time in the bathroom.

So if you're feeling adventurous, grab a jar of Vegemite and spread it thinly on top of a piece of buttered toast.